Equipment monitoring systems and devices

ABSTRACT

Equipment monitoring employing time-triggered Ethernet communications is provided. Two or more sensor assemblies can be configured to transmit sensor signals representative of one or more operating parameters of a machine to a monitoring system over a token ring Ethernet network. The monitoring system can synchronize timing between the sensor assemblies and schedule timing of respective sensor signal transmissions to bound latency of the scheduled transmissions. Alternatively, or additionally, the monitoring system can include an Ethernet backplane configured to allow Ethernet communication between two or more processing cards coupled thereto. A switch in communication with the Ethernet backplane can schedule transmissions between the processing cards coupled to the Ethernet backplane to guarantee latency of the scheduled transmissions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/809,424, filed Nov. 10, 2017, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62,420,316, filed Nov. 10, 2017, andentitled “Equipment Monitoring Systems and Devices,” the entirety ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

In industrial environments, machinery can be monitored to ensure thatcomponents are operating within acceptable tolerances. In someinstances, this monitoring can provide long term benefits such as lowerproduction costs, reduced equipment down time, improved reliability,and/or improved safety.

Vibration is one operating parameter that can be monitored for rotatingcomponents of machines such as turbines, engines, and pumps. Theserotating components can vibrate during use and the frequency of thesevibrations can be correlated to a state of health of the rotatingcomponents. As an example, when a rotating component is operatingproperly, it can produce a characteristic “good” vibration behavior.However, when the rotating component starts to wear, its properoperation (e.g., rotation and alignment) can start to degrade. Thisdegradation can cause a change in the vibration behavior of the rotatingcomponent.

SUMMARY

By comparing a current vibration behavior of the component to the “good”vibration behavior, wear of the rotating component can be detected andmaintenance on the rotating component can be performed well ahead ofbreakdown.

In some circumstances, a dedicated channel (e.g., a cable) can be usedto transmit sensor data measured by sensors to a central hub thatcollects sensor values, processes measurements, and transmits statusesto other process systems. However, this manner of communication can beproblematic. As an example, noise can be introduced into the sensor dataon the cable, which can reduce the quality of the measurement. Sinceeach channel has its own independent cable from the sensor to thecentral hub, it can also be expensive and time consuming to add channelsas each new channel requires additional cabling to be run. Accordingly,devices, systems, and methods are provided for monitoring industrialequipment. Two or more sensor assemblies can be configured to transmitsensor signals representative of one or more operating parameters of amachine to a monitoring system over a token ring Ethernet network. Themonitoring system can synchronize timing between the sensor assembliesand schedule timing of respective sensor signal transmissions to boundlatency of the scheduled transmissions.

In one embodiment, a system for monitoring a machine is provided and itcan include at least two sensor assemblies and a central monitoringsystem. Each sensor of the at least two sensor assemblies can include asensor configured to acquire data including measurements of an operatingparameter of a machine and a sensor controller configured to transmit asignal representing the measured operating parameter. The signal can betransmitted at a time determined by a timing schedule shared by each ofthe at least two sensor assemblies. The central monitoring system can becommunication with each sensor assembly via a network in a token ringtopology. The central monitoring system can also be configured toreceive signals transmitted by the at least two sensor assemblies andanalyze the received signals to determine at least one status of themachine. Each of the at least two sensor assemblies can be synchronizedin time and signals transmitted from each of the at least two sensorassemblies to the central monitoring system according to the timingschedule can have a bounded maximum latency.

In another embodiment, the token ring network can form a single,continuous pathway for transmission of sensor signals from each of thesensor assemblies to the central monitoring system.

In another embodiment, each sensor controller can include at least twoEthernet network controllers and an internet protocol switch and thetoken ring network can include Ethernet connections between sensorassemblies and the central monitoring system. Each sensor assembly canbe connected to either two sensor assemblies that are nearest neighborswithin the token ring network or they can be connected to one nearestneighbor sensor assembly and the central monitoring system.

In another embodiment, each sensor assembly can be configured totransmit sensor signals received from a nearest neighbor sensor assemblyaccording to the timing schedule.

In another embodiment, the central monitoring system can be configuredto communicate with each of the at least two sensor assemblies via thetoken ring network for synchronization of time.

In another embodiment, the system can also include at least two firstsensor assemblies, at least two second sensor assemblies, and at leasttwo network switches. The at least two first sensor assemblies can beconfigured to transmit first signals representing a sensed operatingparameter of a first machine and they can be in communication with thecentral monitoring system via a first token ring network. The at leasttwo second sensor assemblies can be configured to transmit secondsignals representing a sensed operating parameter of a second machineand they can be in communication with the central monitoring system viaa second token ring network. The at least two network switches can beconfigured for communication with the first and second token ringnetworks such that the first token ring network and the second tokenring network are arranged in a tree network topology.

In an embodiment, a system for monitoring a machine is provided and itcan include a backplane having a first module, a second module, and athird module. The first module can be in communication with a firstprocessing card. The first processing card can be configured to receivefirst sensor signals representative of a measured operating parameter ofa machine and analyze the first signals to determine at least one firststatus of the machine. The second module can be in communication with asecond processing card. The second processing card can be configured toreceive second sensor signals representative of a measured operatingparameter of the machine and analyze the second signals to determine atleast one second status of the machine. The third module can beconfigured to receive a third processing card. The third processing cardcan be configured to synchronize transmission and receipt ofcommunication signals between the first and second processing cards toensure a bounded maximum latency for transmission of each of thecommunication signals between the first and second circuit boards.

In another embodiment, the first and second processing cards can beconfigured to determine the first and second statuses independently ofeach other.

In another embodiment, failure of one of the first and second processingcards does not interfere with the analysis performed by the other of thefirst and second processing cards.

In another embodiment, the first module can communicatively couple thefirst processing card to a first Ethernet network interface controllerthe second module can communicatively couple the second processing cardto a second Ethernet network controller, and the third processing cardcan include a time triggered Ethernet switch.

In another embodiment, each of the first, second, and third modules canbe communicatively coupled to one another by respective Ethernetconnections.

In another embodiment, the first processing card and the secondprocessing card do not include a time triggered Ethernet switch.

In another embodiment, the third processing card can synchronizestransmission and receipt of the communication signals by each of thefirst and second processing cards according to a timing schedulemaintained by the third processing card.

Methods for monitoring a machine are provided. In one embodiment, amethod can include synchronizing, by a central monitoring system,transmissions from a first sensor assembly and a second sensor assemblyto the central monitoring system, according to a timing schedule. Thecentral monitoring system can be communicatively coupled to the firstand second sensor assemblies by a token ring network. The method canalso include transmitting, by the first sensor assembly, a first signalrepresenting measurements of a first operating parameter of a machineacquired by the first sensor assembly. The first signal can betransmitted at a first time determined by the timing schedule. Themethod can further include transmitting, by the second sensor assembly,a second signal representing measurements of a second operatingparameter of the machine acquired by the second sensor assembly. Thesecond signal can be transmitted at a second time determined by thetiming schedule. The method can additionally include receiving, by thecentral monitoring system, the first and second signals. A latency fortransmissions from each of the first and second sensor assemblies to thecentral monitoring system can be less than a predetermined maximumlatency.

In another embodiment, the method can further include analyzing, by thecentral monitoring system, at least one of the received first and secondsignals to determine at least one status of the machine.

In another embodiment, the token ring network can form a single,continuous pathway for transmission of the first and second sensorsignals from the first and second sensor assemblies, respectively, tothe central monitoring system.

In another embodiment, the first sensor assembly and the second sensorassembly can be nearest neighbors within the token ring network.

In another embodiment, the method can further include transmitting, byone of the first and second sensor assemblies, a sensor signal receivedfrom the other of the first and second sensor assemblies according tothe timing schedule.

In another embodiment, the method can further include, by the centralmonitoring system, maintaining a clock and communicating time maintainedby the clock with each of the first and second sensor assemblies via thetoken ring network for synchronizing transmission of the first andsecond signals according to the timing schedule.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present disclosure can be more fully understood fromthe following detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view diagram of an exemplary embodiment of anoperating environment showing data flow from a sensor through amonitoring system to diagnostic and analysis software;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view diagram of an exemplary embodiment of anoperating environment having individual wiring between multiple sensorsand a monitoring system;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an exemplary operating environment havingmultiple external processes and control systems in communication with amonitoring system;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view diagram of an exemplary embodiment of anoperating environment having multiple sensors including a sensorcontroller that enables a token ring network topology configurationbetween the sensors and a monitoring system;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view diagram of an exemplary embodiment of anoperating environment having multiple token ring network topologies forcommunication between a plurality of sensors and a monitoring system;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a backplane of amonitoring system having sub-systems capable of communication with oneanother via the backplane;

FIG. 7 is a diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an Ethernet backplaneof a monitoring system configured to provide Ethernet communicationbetween respective sub-systems;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view diagram of an exemplary embodiment of anoperating environment including a monitoring system in communicationwith an external diagnostic device; and

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of amethod for monitoring a machine.

It is noted that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawingsare intended to depict only typical aspects of the subject matterdisclosed herein, and therefore should not be considered as limiting thescope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand thatthe systems, devices, and methods specifically described herein andillustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplaryembodiments and that the scope of the present invention is definedsolely by the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various techniques are provided for improved monitoring of machines. Asan example, multiple sensors can measure data related to characteristicsof a machine, such as vibration, and transmit the data over a computernetwork to a monitoring system. The monitoring system can receive andprocess the data to identify equipment problems and/or status of themachine. The monitoring system can also communicate with the sensors toschedule when data is sent by different sensors. As a result, delaysbetween transmission and receipt of the data can kept below a level in adesired range. Scheduling transmissions in this manner can also reducean amount of wiring between the sensors and the monitoring system andsimplify the process of adding additional sensors.

FIG. 1 illustrates an operating environment 100 having a single channelfor measuring vibration of a machine component 110. As shown, theoperating environment 100 can include a sensor 120 coupled to themachine component 110, a monitoring system 130 coupled to the sensor120, and a computing device 140 coupled to the monitoring system 130.The sensor 120 can be configured to sense an operating parameter (e.g.,vibration) of the machine component 110 (e.g., a bearing, a rotatingshaft, etc.) and to transmit the sensed operating parameter to themonitoring system 130 in one or more sensor signals. The sensor 120 canbe connected to the monitoring system 130 via field wiring 128. Themonitoring system 130 can process the sensor signals into separatemeasurements related to machinery issues, and it can transmit thesesignals downstream to the computing device 140 and/or to other externalsystem(s). The monitoring system 130 can also or alternatively storesensor signals for later processing. Measurements contained within thesensor signals can be compared against pre-configured setpoints in realtime in order to provide automated logic and alarming functionality thatannunciates via physical relays on the device or over network or serialprotocols to external systems downstream. In an exemplary embodiment,the monitoring system 130 can include, but is not limited to, the 3500Monitoring System (General Electric Co., of Schenectady, N.Y.).

The sensor 120 can have a variety of configurations, but in an exemplaryembodiment the sensor 120 can include a transducer 122 and a signalconditioning circuit 126 that can be coupled to the transducer 122 via asensor cable 124. The transducer 122 can convert variations in anoperating parameter of the machine component 110 into an electricalsignal (i.e., the sensor signal). The operating parameter can include,but is not limited to, vibration, velocity, acceleration, temperature,pressure, position, etc. The signal conditioning circuit 126 cancondition, amplify, and transmit the sensor signal to the monitoringsystem 130 via the field wiring 128. In alternative embodiments, thesignal conditioning circuit 126 can be omitted and the transducer 122can be configured to perform the functions of the signal conditioningcircuit 126 and directly communicate with the monitoring system 130 viathe field wiring 128. In further alternative embodiments, the transducer122 can include the signal conditioning circuit 126 and sensor cable 124in a single unit.

FIG. 2 illustrates an operating environment 200 where the monitoringsystem 130 can be configured to receive analog sensor signalstransmitted from multiple sensors 120, e.g., two to fifty sensors ormore, over respective independent field wiring 128 that can span longdistances, e.g., up to three hundred meters or more. The received sensorsignals can be processed by the monitoring system 130, which can allowfor correlating phase across input channels and for determining a speedof the machine.

As shown in FIG. 3, the monitoring system 130 can be connected to avariety of external process or control systems (collectively “externalsystems”) 150. The illustrated external systems 150 can include, by wayof example, configuration software, machine diagnostic software,customer human-machine interface (HMI), customer historian, customercontrol system, and customer safety system. Interoperability with theexternal systems 150 can allow the monitoring system 130 to function asa central hub for collecting sensor signals, processing measurements,and transmitting data and statuses to other process and control systems,which may span multiple plant segments and users.

In some instances, such a configuration can be problematic, however. Inone aspect, this configuration can present an inherent cybersecurityrisk, since the same monitoring system 130 can need to communicate tomultiple network levels. In another aspect, noise can be introduced intothe sensor signal during transmission through the field wiring 128,which can reduces the quality of the measurement represented by thesensor signal. Since each channel can have its own independent fieldwiring from the sensor 120 to the monitoring system 130, scaling andadding channels can require running additional wiring, thus there islittle reuse of infrastructure when the customer wishes to add morechannels or functionality.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an operating environment400 that can have multiple sensors 420 that each can include a sensorcontroller 430 that enables a token ring network topology configurationbetween the sensors 420 and the monitoring system 130. The operatingenvironment 400 can employ time-triggered Ethernet (TTE) which cansimplify field wiring 428, and/or can enhance communications betweenprocessing modules of the monitoring system 130 to ensure that latencyis bounded. Furthermore, TTE communications can provide enhancedsecurity against cyber threats and rogue devices.

To implement TTE communication, the operating environment 400 can bemodified with respect to the operating environment 200 of FIG. 2. Inparticular, one or more of the sensors 120 of FIG. 2 can be replacedwith TTE sensors 420 (also referred to herein as sensor assemblies), andthe field wiring 128 of FIG. 2 can be replaced with the field wiring428. The TTE sensors 420 can each include a sensor controller 430 thatcan be configured to receive the analog sensor signal output by theirassociated signal conditioning circuit 126. Each sensor controller 430can include two Ethernet network interface controllers (NIC) 432 a, 432b and an internal internet protocol (IP) switch (not shown) to supportthe token ring network topology.

The NICs 432 a, 432 b on each TTE sensor 420 can enable connection viathe field wiring 428, such as an Ethernet cable, to a neighboringnetwork element to form the token ring network. In some configurations,the field wiring 428 can include power supply wiring (not shown) foreach TTE sensor 420 power supply wiring, separate from the Ethernetcable. In other configurations, power can be supplied to each TTE sensor420 with Power over Ethernet.

While not shown, in certain aspects, the signal conditioning circuit andthe sensor controller can be combined into a single digital signalconditioning circuit, where functions are performed in the digitaldomain without employing analog components. In either configuration, asingle, continuous pathway for transmission of sensor signals from theTTE sensors 420 to the monitoring system 130 can be formed. In the tokenring network, each TTE sensor 420 can also function as a hub,transmitting sensor signals received from at least one nearest neighbornetwork element (e.g., another TTE sensor 420 and/or the centralmonitoring system 130). In certain embodiments, the token ring networkcan be unidirectional or bidirectional. As shown in FIG. 4, in the caseof two TTE sensors 420, each is connected to the other and to thecentral monitoring system 130.

The illustrated TTE sensors 420 can be configured such that multipletransducers 122 can communicate with a single signal conditioningcircuit 126. In particular, FIG. 4 illustrates TTE sensors 420 that eachcan include one signal conditioning circuit 126 in communication withtwo transducers 122. However, each signal conditioning circuit 126 cancommunicate with only one transducer 122 or with any number oftransducers 122, as may be desired.

Communications performed using the TTE sensors 420 and token ringnetwork topology can provide a reduction of field wiring costs. Notably,additional TTE sensors 420 can be placed in communication with themonitoring system 130 without running new wiring 428 from the new TTEsensor to the central monitoring system 130. As an example, TTE sensorsadded to the token ring network can be connected to two sensorassemblies that are nearest neighbors within the token ring network orconnected to one nearest neighbor sensor assembly and the centralmonitoring system. This is possible because the sensor controller 430can allow each TTE sensor 420 to operate with the same concept of time(e.g., synchronized in time) with respect to one another. As an example,the central monitoring system 130 can maintain a clock and transmittiming signals to each of the TTE sensors 420 for time synchronization.

At least one of the central monitoring system 130 and each of the TTEsensors 420 can also maintain a timing schedule for transmission ofsignals from the TTE sensors 420 to the central monitoring system 130.This can allow signals from respective TTE sensors 420 to be scheduledfor transmission at different times, regardless of the number of TTEsensors 420 that are present in the token ring network, and for allchannels to be correlated relative to that time by the centralmonitoring system 130. As a result, the maximum latency fortransmissions from each of the TTE sensors 420 to the central monitoringsystem 130 can be bounded (e.g., less than or equal to a predeterminedtime duration).

Furthermore, the TTE network (e.g., the central monitoring system 130,can detect man-in-the-middle attacks and reject any malformed packet,improving network security and reliability. Additionally, bytransmitting sensor signals in the digital domain, more complexinformation can be sent to the central monitoring system 130 (e.g., aself-identification of each TTE sensor 420) besides the sensor signals.As a result, signal channels can be less susceptible to noise.

Enhanced instrumentation diagnostics and processing and diagnostics atthe sensor-level can also be communicated to the monitoring system 130.For example, the addition of digital technology in the TTE sensors 420,combined with the ability to add additional channel data andcommunications between the TTE sensors 420 and the monitoring system130, can allow for use of more sophisticated algorithms and sensingmethods to compensate for deviations in the measured electricalcharacteristics of monitored machine components 110. Such aconfiguration can allow for solutions for electrical and mechanicalrunout at the sensor-level since the TTE sensors 420 can facilitatedetection of off-center rotation of monitored machine components.

The token ring network topology of FIG. 4 can be incorporated into ahybrid network topology, as shown in the operating environment 500 ofFIG. 5. The hybrid network topology can be employed when the number ofTTE sensors 420 is large (e.g., thirty to fifty, or more). In thisexemplary embodiment, the operating environment 500 can merge token ringand redundant tree network topologies with active network switches 502.As shown, TTE sensors 420 a can be configured to monitor a first machine504 a and they can be arranged in a token ring network topology with themonitoring system 130. Likewise, four TTE sensors 420 b can beconfigured to monitor a second machine 504 b and they can be arranged ina token ring network topology with the monitoring system 130. Thenetwork switches 502 can enable the token ring networks of each of thefirst TTE sensors 420 a and the TTE sensors 420 b to be arranged in atree network topology, with two trunk communication paths. The networkswitches 502 can thus direct sensor signals received from the first andsecond TTE sensors 420 a, 420 b to the monitoring system 130. Moreover,increased distances between the field wiring 428 and monitored machinecomponents (e.g., the first and second machines 504 a, 504 b, etc.) cansupport more complex and sparse customer plants.

Exemplary backplane configurations for a monitoring system are alsoprovided. FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a backplane 600that can be configured to allow communication between independentprocessing cards and their associated power supplies. The backplane 600can include first, second, and third modules 602 a, 602 b, 602 c thatare connected to first, second, and third processing cards 604 a, 604 b,604 c, respectively. The modules 602 a, 602 b, 602 c can providehardware interfaces and signal conditioning for signals communicated toand from their respective processing cards 604 a, 604 b, 604 c. Theindividual processing cards 604 a, 604 b, 604 c can communicate on thebackplane 600 using protocols running on busses formed from passivetraces (not shown) extending across the backplane 600. Various protocolscan be used to communicate measurement values, events, states, andconfiguration information between the processing cards 604 a, 604 b, 604c. The processing cards 604 a, 604 b, 604 c can each operate and processindependently of other processing cards to avoid a single point offailure bringing down the monitoring system. The monitoring system canalso include protection circuitry (not shown) isolated from diagnosticand informational circuitry (not shown) to provide further segregationand enhance the robustness in the event of an electrical componentfailure or user intervention.

FIG. 7 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a backplane 700 thatcan employ Ethernet such that scalability of a monitoring system can beimproved. As shown, the backplane 700 can include first, second, andthird modules 702 a, 702 b, 702 c connected to first, second, and thirdprocessing cards 704 a, 704 b, 704 c. This configuration and number ofprocessing cards can be dictated by the physical configuration of thebackplane 600. The backplane 700 can also include a switch card 706containing a time triggered Ethernet (TTE) switch. Each processing card704 a, 704 b, 704 c can include NIC interfaces to reduce cost since noTTE switch is required in the processing cards 704 a, 704 b, 704 c, asthis functionality can be provided by the switch card 710. The NICinterfaces can enable the individual processing cards 704 a, 704 b, 704c to communicate via Ethernet cables 706. In use, the switch card 710can synchronize time and scheduling between each of the processing cards704 a, 704 b, 704 c to ensure a bounded maximum latency for scheduledtraffic between the processing cards 704 a, 704 b, 704 c. With thisnetworked backplane 700, scalability can increase and the operator canbe provided with the opportunity to scale from a low channel count to ahigher channel count by using and extending the Ethernet network. Whilenot shown, in other embodiments, the backplane 700 can be physicallydivided into parts, with each part including respective ones of themodules 702 a, 702 b, 702 c and their respective processing cards 704 a,704 b, 704 c, allowing for flexibility in physical architecture andconfiguration.

The operating environments disclosed herein can enable and enhancecommunication with an external diagnostic device typically used fortemporary diagnostic installations. FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplaryembodiment of an operating environment 800 that can have a configurationsimilar to the operating environment shown in FIG. 4, however themonitoring system 130 of FIG. 8 can be coupled to an external diagnosticdevice 802. The use of an Ethernet cable for field wiring 428 and adigital signal can enable the re-use of high-resolution samples from theTTE sensors 420 by the external diagnostic device 802, instead ofresampling, which may be performed. Since each TTE sensor 420 can havethe same concept of time (e.g., be synchronized in time) as thediagnostic device 802, the TTE sensors 420 can stream the digitized datathrough the field wiring 428 without assigning timestamps. When thediagnostic information is needed by the diagnostic device 802, thediagnostic device 802 can connect to the network, listen for thedigitized data, and correlate (for synchronous measurements) using ashared concept of time (e.g., time-sharing) provided by certain timeprotocols and append additional temporary diagnostic sensor channels toform a unique monitoring system configuration for diagnostic purposes.

Time-sharing or time synchronization can allow multiple users in thenetwork to interact concurrently with the monitoring system 130. Networkswitches in-between the TTE sensors 420 and the monitoring system 130can be pre-configured to duplicate the ingress packet to two outgoingports, one for the normal protection and condition monitoring system,and the other for any diagnostic interface with a need to capture thedigitized signal stream. Thus, the temporary installation of adiagnostic device such as diagnostic device 802 avoid the need forreconfiguration, although a specified switch port can be dedicated fordiagnostic sensor transmission.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of amethod 900 for monitoring a machine (e.g., machine component 110). Asshown, the method 900 can include operations 902-910. However, incertain aspects, embodiments of the method 900 can include greater orfewer operations than illustrated in FIG. 9 and its operations can beperformed in a different order than illustrated in FIG. 9.

In operation 902, transmissions from a first sensor assembly and asecond sensor assembly (e.g., respective TTE sensors 430) can besynchronized with the central monitoring system 130. As an example, thecentral monitoring system 130 can be communicatively coupled to thefirst and second sensor assemblies by a token ring network. The centralmonitoring system 130 can maintain a clock and communicate timemaintained by the clock to each of the first and second sensorassemblies via the token ring network. The central monitoring system 130can also synchronize transmissions by the first and second sensorassemblies according to a timing schedule that is common to each of thefirst and second sensor assemblies.

In operation 904, the first sensor assembly can transmit a first signalrepresenting measurements of a first operating parameter of a machine.The first signal can be transmitted at a first time determined by thetiming schedule. The measurements contained within the first signal canalso be acquired by the first sensor assembly prior to transmission.

In operation 906, the second sensor assembly can transmit a secondsignal representing measurements of a second operating parameter of amachine. The second signal can be transmitted at a second timedetermined by the timing schedule. The measurements contained within thesecond signal can also be acquired by the second sensor assembly priorto transmission.

In operation 910, the central monitoring system 130 can receive thetransmitted first and second signals. Owing to the timing schedule, alatency (e.g., time delay) for the first and second signals from each ofthe first and second sensor assemblies to reach the central monitoringsystem from the time they are respectively transmitted can be less thana predetermined maximum latency.

In certain embodiments, the central monitoring system can be configuredto analyze at least one of the received first and second signals todetermine at least one status of the machine. Alternatively, the centralmonitoring system can further transmit the first and second signals toone or more of the external systems for determining the at least onestatus of the machine.

Exemplary technical effects of the methods, systems, and devicesdescribed herein can include at least one of: (a) reduction in fieldwiring costs; (b) support for secure transmission of multiple channelswith reduced noise susceptibility from sensors to a monitoring system;and (c) flexibility to scale from a low channel count to a higherchannel count received by the monitoring system, or to physicallyseparate the monitoring system.

The subject matter described herein can be implemented in analogelectronic circuitry, digital electronic circuitry, and/or in computersoftware, firmware, or hardware, including the structural meansdisclosed in this specification and structural equivalents thereof, orin combinations of them. The subject matter described herein can beimplemented as one or more computer program products, such as one ormore computer programs tangibly embodied in an information carrier(e.g., in a machine-readable storage device), or embodied in apropagated signal, for execution by, or to control the operation of,data processing apparatus (e.g., a programmable processor, a computer,or multiple computers). A computer program (also known as a program,software, software application, or code) can be written in any form ofprogramming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, andit can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or asa module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in acomputing environment. A computer program does not necessarilycorrespond to a file. A program can be stored in a portion of a filethat holds other programs or data, in a single file dedicated to theprogram in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files thatstore one or more modules, sub-programs, or portions of code). Acomputer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or onmultiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification, includingthe method steps of the subject matter described herein, can beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform functions of the subject matter describedherein by operating on input data and generating output. The processesand logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus of the subjectmatter described herein can be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application-specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processor of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devicesfor storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will alsoinclude, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer datato, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g.,magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. Information carrierssuitable for embodying computer program instructions and data includeall forms of non-volatile memory, including by way of examplesemiconductor memory devices, (e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memorydevices); magnetic disks, (e.g., internal hard disks or removabledisks); magneto-optical disks; and optical disks (e.g., CD and DVDdisks). The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, orincorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, the subject matter describedherein can be implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., aCRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, fordisplaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device,(e.g., a mouse or a trackball), by which the user can provide input tothe computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide forinteraction with a user as well. For example, feedback provided to theuser can be any form of sensory feedback, (e.g., visual feedback,auditory feedback, or tactile feedback), and input from the user can bereceived in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

The techniques described herein can be implemented using one or moremodules. As used herein, the term “module” refers to computing software,firmware, hardware, and/or various combinations thereof. At a minimum,however, modules are not to be interpreted as software that is notimplemented on hardware, firmware, or recorded on a non-transitoryprocessor readable recordable storage medium (i.e., modules are notsoftware per se). Indeed “module” is to be interpreted to always includeat least some physical, non-transitory hardware such as a part of aprocessor or computer. Two different modules can share the same physicalhardware (e.g., two different modules can use the same processor andnetwork interface). The modules described herein can be combined,integrated, separated, and/or duplicated to support variousapplications. Also, a function described herein as being performed at aparticular module can be performed at one or more other modules and/orby one or more other devices instead of or in addition to the functionperformed at the particular module. Further, the modules can beimplemented across multiple devices and/or other components local orremote to one another. Additionally, the modules can be moved from onedevice and added to another device, and/or can be included in bothdevices.

The subject matter described herein can be implemented in a computingsystem that includes a back-end component (e.g., a data server), amiddleware component (e.g., an application server), or a front-endcomponent (e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface ora web browser through which a user can interact with an implementationof the subject matter described herein), or any combination of suchback-end, middleware, and front-end components. The components of thesystem can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital datacommunication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of communicationnetworks include a local area network (“LAN”) and a wide area network(“WAN”), e.g., the Internet.

Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification andclaims, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation thatcould permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basicfunction to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a termor terms, such as “about,” “approximately,” and “substantially,” are notto be limited to the precise value specified. In at least someinstances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision ofan instrument for measuring the value. Here and throughout thespecification and claims, range limitations may be combined and/orinterchanged, such ranges are identified and include all the sub-rangescontained therein unless context or language indicates otherwise.

Certain exemplary embodiments are described to provide an overview ofthe principles of the structure, function, manufacture, and use of thesystems, devices, and methods disclosed herein. One or more examples ofthese embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Thefeatures illustrated or described in connection with one exemplaryembodiment can be combined with the features of other embodiments. Suchmodifications and variations are intended to be included within thescope of the present invention. Further, in the present disclosure,like-named components of the embodiments generally have similarfeatures, and thus within a particular embodiment each feature of eachlike-named component is not necessarily fully elaborated upon.

One skilled in the art will appreciate further features and advantagesof the disclosure based on the above-described embodiments. Accordingly,the invention is not to be limited by what has been particularly shownand described, except as indicated by the appended claims. Allpublications and references cited herein are expressly incorporated byreference in their entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for monitoring a machine, comprising: abackplane comprising, a first module in communication with a firstprocessing card configured to receive first sensor signalsrepresentative of a measured operating parameter of a machine andanalyze the first signals to determine at least one first status of themachine; a second module in communication with a second processing cardconfigured to receive second sensor signals representative of a measuredoperating parameter of the machine and analyze the second signals todetermine at least one second status of the machine; a third moduleconfigured to receive a third processing card configured to synchronizetransmission and receipt of communication signals between the first andsecond processing cards to ensure a bounded maximum latency fortransmission of each of the communication signals between the first andsecond circuit boards.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first andsecond processing cards are configured to determine the first and secondstatuses independently of each other.
 3. The system of claim 1, whereinfailure of one of the first and second processing cards does notinterfere with the analysis performed by the other of the first andsecond processing cards.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the firstmodule communicatively couples the first processing card to a firstEthernet network interface controller, the second module communicativelycouples the second processing card to a second Ethernet networkcontroller, and the third processing card includes a time triggeredEthernet switch.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein each of the first,second, and third modules are communicatively coupled to one another byrespective Ethernet connections.
 6. The system of claim 4, wherein thefirst processing card and the second processing card do not include atime triggered Ethernet switch.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein thethird processing card synchronizes transmission and receipt of thecommunication signals by each of the first and second processing cardsaccording to a timing schedule maintained by the third processing card.